Yellowstone--The End

Well..I think I will start this post at the end and then go back in time. This may come as a shock to those of you who have only read my blog and not heard from me in person but I have decided to "pack my knives and go"--in the words of Padma Lunchmeat (from Top Chef). For those of you who don't watch Top Chef I'll put it another way: "Erika has left the kitchen." Yes, that is correct...I quit and have come home. I am writing this post from the Edmonds Estate (we got in around noon). I won't go into all the details here of why I quit cuz there are so many...the long and the short of it is that work conditions were pretty bad and stressful and were only going to get worse as we got more short staffed...so the stress and the way the kitchen was run and many other factors combined to make me decide that life was too short and my health was more important. Anyways...these pictures are from my trip home. This is a picture of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone...right by where I worked.

My wonderful mother came out and picked me up and we drove down through Old Faithful on our way out of the park. We saw lots of wildlife...these two guys kept walking around the road and came right by my window...they make a lot of noise.

Anywho...once we got out of the park it was flashbacks to the '88 forest fires. Outside of Missoula there were some forest fires. Look how thick and nasty the smoke is...in the middle is a fire helicopter with the big water bucket underneath...

At this point I really felt like I was basically at home and boy was I happy. I went out and tried something new and had an adventure--it didn't turn out the way I wanted it too, but that's ok. After making my decision to quit and giving my notice (I gave it Saturday) events totally validated my decision and I have no regrets whatsoever. So I am back home and so relieved to be back.
By the way if you want to see the pictures bigger you can just double click them. Also, while I am no longer in Yellowstone I think I will keep my blog around and update it some about events in my life. So you can keep up on my life it you all want to. My parents were able to get my on their flight to Indiana at the end of August...and I will sure blog about my adventures there and any other adventures before that. Thanks to everyone for keeping up with me and for all your support. I do have lots of other pictures and stories from Yellowstone not included on this blog so feel free to ask to see and hear more.

I just wanted to apologize to all my loyal readers about the technical difficulties experience with my last entry (the one where the pictures didn't work). We received many complaints (ok...so it was just my parents...but thats still 2). Our crews have been working around the clock to fix the problem. I ended up just reposting it...the text is the same verbatim (just copied and pasted). I wanted to make a post to let you all know that. And since I didn't want a boring post with no pictures I threw in some random ones.... For those of you who aren't familiar with this neat little invention called a Squwengee (I totally didn't spell that right)...my sister and I gave it to my mother for her Birthday and it hangs in our yard....

As you can see the squirrels jump up and bounce up and down while they eat corn (it is basically a squirrel bungee jump.

Anywho...while wee are on the subject of technical difficulties...for those of you who may have tried earlier to make a comment and couldn't with out an account I changed that so you now can...just hit the button and speak your mind. Sorry I haven't responded to any comments yet. I do really appreciate them.

Obviously this is not a picture of a squirrel...but didn't think a blog of mine would be complete with out a picture of Suzy. She would have loved the grizzly. It is a little known fact that she actually worked in Yellowstone for a summer when she was my age...but she was a line cook for the main dinging room...so I am almost but not quite following in her auspicious footsteps!

Anywho, tomorrow is my Saturday...and most likely I will be going on an all day bus tour through Yellowstone (it leaves at 8 in the morning...but compared to my last to days of work that started at 5 I guess thats practically afternoon). Anyways the point is that I will bring my camera and so look out for a post either tomorrow or the next day. The tour is space available (if there are extra seats on any tour I can go for free...pretty sweet deal) so unless a whole bunch of people sign up between now and 8am I will be on it. Well I am gonna go now and get to the bottom of a mystery...and Agatha Christie mystery!

I thought I would give a little post about my yesterday. What an eventful day. Unfortunately I only really have one picture actually pertaining to yesterday (the first one...the rest are just more from my bus tour). Anywho...So I started the day by cutting my thumb opening up some Vegetarian Vegetable Soup *visible shudder*...don't worry...it's okay. It wasn't bad at all kind of like a bad paper cut. But it bleed so I had to wear a band-aid. Since things tend to get wet working in a kitchen they made me wear this little "finger cot" all day [See exhibit A]. Anywho so from pretty early on everybody could easily tell that I had clumsily hurt myself As if that weren't enough later on I overcooked the noodles. Alright, that's cool...everyone makes mistakes. So then when tossing it out I over load a garbage bag and on the way to the dumpster...at the most heavily trafficked area in the kitchen the bag breaks and sloppy wet overcooked noodles cascade all over the floor. To take things one step further, because of the time it took me to clean up after the mess I missed lunch. Needless to say it was actually a pretty rotten day at work. By the end I was ready to crawl into a hole...

So I did laundry. I also went to go buy myself an ice cream sandwich (props to Carnation...I've been there on a field trip...where the magic happens). Anyways on my way back from getting the Carnation Ice Cream Sandwich I ran into this guy John (the one who invited me to go horse back riding with him and his friends). So he says they are gonna walk down to the Canyon and would I like to come. I said sure and that I hadn't yet been to the Canyon.

So a group of 6 of us start off down this little trail (it is about a .5 mile walk). We walk for a little bit then all the sudden turn the corner and BAM! Right there in front of us is a Grizzly Bear!!!! No joke. We were soooooo close to it. Unfortunately I did not have my camera but those that did took some quick pictures and we slowly backed up and back tracked. We then walked on the other route to Canyon. But it was so amazing! A Grizzly...I couldn't have been any further than 30 yards away when we turned the corner. [PS: that little guy in the picture there is not a bear and was not seen on my bus tours...these little fellas hang out all over and are so cute!]

Anywho...the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is breathtaking. I can't even begin to describe it. All I can do is promise to go back with my camera and post some pictures. On the way back on the same trail we turned the corner and were even closer to a huge Elk who was just hangin' out and eating. Needless to say it was a very good ending to a very eventful day. Just one more day until the weekend (my weekend that is)!!!!

An Eventful Day

I thought I would give a little post about my yesterday. What an eventful day. Unfortunately I only really have one picture actually pertaining to yesterday (the first one...the rest are just more from my bus tour). Anywho...So I started the day by cutting my thumb opening up some Vegetarian Vegetable Soup *visible shudder*...don't worry...it's okay. It wasn't bad at all kind of like a bad paper cut. But it bleed so I had to wear a band-aid. Since things tend to get wet working in a kitchen they made me wear this little "finger cot" all day [See exhibit A]. Anywho so from pretty early on everybody could easily tell that I had clumsily hurt myself.

As if that weren't enough later on I overcooked the noodles. Alright, that's cool...everyone makes mistakes. So then when tossing it out I over load a garbage bag and on the way to the dumpster...at the most heavily trafficked area in the kitchen the bag breaks and sloppy wet overcooked noodles cascade all over the floor. To take things one step further, because of the time it took me to clean up after the mess I missed lunch. Needless to say it was actually a pretty rotten day at work. By the end I was ready to crawl into a hole...

So I did laundry. I also went to go buy myself an ice cream sandwich (props to Carnation...I've been there on a field trip...where the magic happens). Anyways on my way back from getting the Carnation Ice Cream Sandwich I ran into this guy John (the one who invited me to go horse back riding with him and his friends). So he says they are gonna walk down to the Canyon and would I like to come. I said sure and that I hadn't yet been to the Canyon.

So a group of 6 of us start off down this little trail (it is about a .5 mile walk). We walk for a little bit then all the sudden turn the corner and BAM! Right there in front of us is a Grizzly Bear!!!! No joke. We were soooooo close to it. Unfortunately I did not have my camera but those that did took some quick pictures and we slowly backed up and back tracked. We then walked on the other route to Canyon. But it was so amazing! A Grizzly...I couldn't have been any further than 30 yards away when we turned the corner. [PS: that little guy in the picture there is not a bear and was not seen on my bus tours...these little fellas hang out all over and are so cute!]

Anywho...the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is breathtaking. I can't even begin to describe it. All I can do is promise to go back with my camera and post some pictures. On the way back on the same trail we turned the corner and were even closer to a huge Elk who was just hangin' out and eating. Needless to say it was a very good ending to a very eventful day. Just one more day until the weekend (my weekend that is)!!!!

Well...I finally had a couple of days off (Tuesday and Wednesday). here are some pictures of what I did with my time. My main goal was to remind myself why I am here and where I am (it gets hard to remember when you are in a kitchen without windows 8+ hours a day). Anyways my first day off I bummed around in the afternoon (after sleeping in following two 5am-4pm work days)...but then things got exciting. I went on a tour in the evening that went up over Dunraven Pass (named after the Earl of Dunraven who visited a long time ago) to te enterance of the Lamar Vally. This first picture was taken on Dunrave Pass and looks out..i forget what mountain range is in the background..sorry...

Anywho...this next picture is just a cool picture that shows off the still visible destrcution of the '88 fires. For those of you who don't already know I was there in '88 with my mother, grandmother, grandmother's friend Doris, and my sister. I was only 3 so it is my first memory. Yes we came into the park and drove around with flames on both sides of the car pretty close to the road. I remeber seeing the fire jumpers and everything. So the '88 fires hold a speacil place in my heart. A little sidenote: the '88 fires were over 50 indivilual fires that combined to form 4 major fronts...most were started by lightening...but one was started by a logger who dropped a cigarette and because of the way it burned in a "V" away from it they traced it to the cigarette and with DNA caugth the guy.

Becuase it was the evening we were out at dusk and sunset. I thought this picture showed off some of the amazing lighting of the hills and everything. This is right by the Lamar Valley.

Sorry this picture isn't better but it had to be included. This little bear cub was walking right next to the side of the road. On the tour because it was at dusk we saw a mother black bear and 3 cubs, this bear cub, a bison, some deer and some elk.

Anywho..those are just some highlights of the tour. It was on one of the Old Yellow Buses (made in 1936...original bus but new engine). The are reintroducing them to the park after leaving for 50+ years. I'll get a picture so you all can see...they are soooooooo cool. I got to sit up front with the driver so that was fun.

The next day I went on a horse back ride. I was supposed to go with some people but because of some sort of mixup I ended up on the ride before the rest of them...I did make friends with a nice middle aged lady from Wisconsin. Unfortunatly they don't let you bring your camera on a ride ( it not being safe to drive with no hands on the reins) so I have no pictures but it was so beautiful. I t was up on some hills and you could see across to they Hyden Valley and the Yellowstone River and lots of mountian ranges and it went right on the edge for a little bit of Cascade Canyon (at the point you really hope your horse is not klutzy).

Yesterday day I had to go back to work and worked two late shifts (2:30-10:30) so that was a fun nex experience. I have now worked all three shifts. Well I have to get up early for tomorrow so I best wrap this up and git to bed. Goodnight all and thanks for reading. I will try to update again soon about something new and exciting.

Caf Cookin' at Canyon

So here is a look at me in my uniform after a long days work...that uniform was sparkling clean when I left 8.5 hours before (sidenote: look at my bed--they took away my ladder to the top bunk while I was at work to give to Jaxine)...

here is a close up of my apron from today...just one day...marinara sauce is a killer!! I looked just as bad as the apron with dried marinara all over my face and arms...I got something of a burn today (don't worry its smaller than a Tic Tac) from the spluttering marinara...but I'll tell you what makes it all worth while...

This little guy right here...

Here is a close up...today I got my very own chef's thermometer!!! It may seem silly but I feel so cool now.

Anywho...some nitty gritty on what my job is like:
Since Wednesday I've been working from 8am-4:30 (Tuesday my first day which was saftey training I was throwen right in and worked from noon-5pm pounding steaks, make pork brine, rubbing chicken...). Anyway tomorrow and Monday I get to work from 5am-2:30
So what do I do you ask...well let me tell you: I am officail a Cafeteria Cook (Caf Cook) which means I cook for the informal dining option here at Canyon Lodge. In the past couple days I have done everything from chopping onions, green peppers, mushrooms etc to makeing bulk marinara sauce, BBQ, soup, noodles, mac and cheese, or mashed potatos from Potato Pearls. Today me and the other new guy who is from Taiwan got to make the Vegetarian Paella by ourselves (he has a good graps on English but has trouble with some food vocab...he almost put in Peaches instead of Peas)!!
Anywho...to be frank [if I may] the job isn't necessarily as glamorous as the thermometer would led you believe...but it is interesting...and it is kind of fun stirring a huge vat of noodles or sauce with a paddle...plus with all the steam I get a free sauna on the side
My first day off is not until Tuesday...but I am sure to have plenty of adventures on Tuesday and Wednesday to talk about...I am hoping to get out from here a little bit because other than the 30 second walk from my dorm to the Kitchen through tress where I see chipmunks and cute little ground squirrles (different than the ones back home) I can't really tell that I'm in Yellowstone...hopefully that will change soon

Lodgings

Hi once again its me from Yellowstone! I thought I would let you all see where I live...

Theses pictures are all from my dorm room...which thankfully for now is just mine very own without a roomate... As you can see it is small and very plain...boy do I miss the Luxery suites of Moyer (no joke....and by the way the Employee Dinning Room [EDR] is really making me miss Gwinn...once again not a joke)

This is in the Visitor Center at Canyon (where I live) which is brand new...I haven't checked it out yet cuz I haven't had time...but I'm looking forward to it on Tuesday (my first day off!!)

These are just some random trees around my dorm


Anywho...some more info on my living situation: I am stationed at Canyon which is at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, I live in the Bighorn Dorm which is the quite dorm, for those of you who are not familar with Yellowstone that means it is the "Old People Dorm" I am seriously living with mainly middle age to senior citizens...when my parents helped move me in every one thought they were the ones moving in (once againe no joke!). So that adds a whole other interesting element to things...esp if I get a roommate who coulde be old enough to be my grandmother. Anywho that is the basic run down on where I live...

Next time on "My Summer In Yellowstone": Erika finally dishes about her job as a Caf Cook at Canyon

Hey everybody! I though I would start this blog so that you could see some pictures and hear some stories from my Yellowstone adventures this summer! This set was taken the night I arrived at Gardiner, MT...the night before I had to show up for work...










As you can see I was pretty excited...before we even entered the park we saw a pronghorn (above)...adrenaline was high!















We drove into Mammoth Hot Springs which is just five miles away from Gardiner for a little drive...thats where I had orientation the next day (during it a guy fell asleep in the back and snored loudly the whole time!). This picture is a random picture on the drive to Mammoth








These guys were hanging out in the grass right outside the Mammoth lodge...when we went back the next day they were there with their buddies!!


Well thats all for now folks...

(Sorry for the bad formatting...I've tried a million times to make it better but to no avail...hopefully it will be better next time)